Brave New Schools; Challenging Cultural Illiteracy through Global Learning Networks » (1st ed)

The first book in the cultural literacy debate that also considers the new classroom technology available to students, Brave New Schools is a vision of schooling for the twenty-first century. A response to the work of Hirsch and Bloom, as well as a guide for parents and teachers, Brave New Schools describes a world of students, teachers, and parents globally connected by the Internet, thereby able to communicate across geographical and cultural barriers once thought impassable. Brave New Schools also contains a valuable section on K-12 networking resources, lists of published materials available, and descriptions of successful networking activities. Stunning in its implications for the future of learning guided by technology, Brave New Schools offers hopeful solutions to the problems of cultural difference and the future of our children.

Publishers Weekly

Declaring that McLuhan's ``global village'' is upon us, the authors of this discerning report describe a revolutionary pedagogy that is already having widespread impact in the classroom of the Internet. They advocate ``long-distance teaching partnerships across cultures'' that will take advantage of the latest technology to promote academic achievement. Their prescription for educational reform, they claim, encourages student sensitivity to a variety of cultural perspectives. The eight models viewed here focus on two active networks and portray students in pursuit of knowledge as ``border crossers'' in a multicultural environment. Educators are challenged by these findings to harness technology to address school reform. Part two, about half the book, is a guide to the Internet for parents and teachers. It includes a 100-page list of Internet resources. Cummins is professor of modern languages at the Ontario Institute in Toronto; Sayers directs the bilingual education program at New York University. (Nov.)